Just Don't Be an Assh*le: A Surprisingly Necessary Guide to Being a Good Guy

- Blurb -

A frank, funny, and clear guidebook for parents to give to teenage boys that will encourage them to have positive interactions, make good decisions, and become successful men of integrity. Teenage boys are on the cusp of adulthood, absorbing the mixed messages today's society sends about what it means to be a "man." As they mature, teenage boys begin taking on the critical skills of being an independent person in the world. But they are also self-absorbed, angry, and clueless in a way that makes their parents and teachers wonder if they were actually raised by wolves. It's a normal, passing phase, right? But is it really? This book is a teenager-friendly, tough love, anti-asshole manifesto/insurance policy. As it turns out, young men need to learn one major lesson to safely exit asshole territory: other people are also humans. (Whoa, right?) Written in the relatable voice of a parent who's seen it all, Kara Kinney Cartwright patiently--without patronizing--helps boys-to-men recognize when they are being jerks and lays out exactly how to do better. Kinney wrote this book as a guide to all the things she wanted to make sure didn't go unsaid--things like: don't be an asshole to your family (your grandma is not legally required to send you a check on your birthday); don't be one to your friends; or at work; or at school; or in the world (Kinney talks a lot about crosswalks here, but also about the challenges of leaving your community and being around new people for the first time), and finally don't be an asshole to women (which is full of real talk and badly needed conversations). Just Don't Be an Assh*le is the necessary book for the generation of teens who have always known the internet, cell phones, and Donald Trump. Kinney writes from a place of love for her own sons and hopes this book will be a framework for how to treat others--and themselves--with respect and dignity.